According to Labor sources, Albanese is expected to focus his remarks on safety and compliance considerations around AI, including building trust in the community about workforce changes, defence implications, and development of energy-intensive infrastructure such as datacentres.<\/p>\n
Labor is planning to take a more active role in the rollout of the rapidly growing sector, which is potentially worth billions to the economy, but has observed heated community division over datacentres overseas.<\/p>\n
Insiders compared the policy challenges presented by AI as similar to those presented by social media, and said planning for the future now will be more effective than waiting for the wave of technological change to arrive.<\/p>\n
Polling shows Australians are split on how they view AI. The Guardian Essential poll in May found 36% of voters thought AI carried more risk than opportunity, while 41% saw risk and opportunity about the same. Just 22% thought AI had more opportunity than risk.<\/p>\n
Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email<\/a><\/p>\n An invitation to Albanese\u2019s speech, seen by Guardian Australia, says it will include discussion of \u201cthe challenges and opportunities\u201d of AI, as well as \u201cthe responsibility this creates for government\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery bit as importantly, we can bring our enduring values of fairness and opportunity to this task,\u201d the invitation says. \u201cTo ensure that AI earns its social licence, driving growth without undercutting conditions, fragmenting our society or damaging our environment.\u201d<\/p>\n Labor sources said the speech was the next step in a whole-of-government project, after months of intense lobbying and different views among senior ministers<\/a> about how best to navigate policy and political pitfalls.<\/p>\n The assistant minister for science, technology and the digital economy, Andrew Charlton, and the industry minister, Tim Ayres, have been leading development of the policy, with other senior figures closely engaged in recent days.<\/p>\n The health minister, Mark Butler, said Wednesday\u2019s speech would be \u201ca blend\u201d of guardrails and principles, especially around safety risks, data and privacy.<\/p>\n \u201cAre we harnessing all of the opportunities with every wave of technology? But are we also making sure that everyone gets the benefits, not just a few? And with this technology, maybe more than most, I think people are also focused on managing the risks and the safety potential for this technology,\u201d he told Channel Nine.<\/p>\n \u201cStepping through that, the benefits, the opportunities, equity issues and managing risk, I think, is the focus of our government.\u201d<\/p>\n
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